Michigan Wolverines: awards 102913

It's November. It's the month when championships are decided -- and also when individual honors are earned. Let's take a look at where some of the major Big Ten award races stand with two months in the books:

Graham–George Offensive Player of the Year

1. Wisconsin RB Melvin Gordon (Last week: 1): The Badgers were off this week, but Gordon still leads the Big Ten with 1,012 rushing yards, to go along with 11 touchdowns, through seven games. He'll get a test this week against Iowa's run defense.

2. Ohio State QB Braxton Miller (LW: 3): Yeah, he missed a big chunk of the nonconference season, but Big Ten play is what matters. And that's where Miller is asserting himself. The Buckeyes' quarterback is completing 70.6 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and only one interception in league action and running for 80 yards per game.

3. Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah (LW: 2): Abdullah showed he is Nebraska's best player in the Huskers' loss at Minnesota last week. He ran 19 times for 165 yards while shaking off an early injury. Abdullah is averaging 172 rushing yards per game in conference play.

4. Michigan WR Jeremy Gallon (LW: 4): The Wolverines were off last week, giving Gallon time to rest after his Big Ten-record 369 receiving yards vs. Indiana. He's got a huge matchup this week against Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard.

5. Ohio State RB Carlos Hyde (LW: Not ranked): Like Miller, Hyde was a nonfactor in the nonconference season. But he's averaging 137 yards per game in league games and has seven rushing touchdowns in the Buckeyes' four Big Ten wins.

Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year

1. Wisconsin LB Chris Borland (LW: 1): Borland got hurt against Illinois and so has basically been out of action for two weeks. Time to remind us why we ranked him No. 1 this week at Iowa.

2. Ohio State LB Ryan Shazier (LW: 2): He had 10 tackles and a sack against Penn State, and he now is tied for the most tackles for loss in the Big Ten with nine.

3. Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard (LW: 4): The Spartans should rack up plenty of all-conference honors on defense; Shilique Calhoun, Max Bullough and Denicos Allen are among the very deserving. Dennard gets a showcase matchup against Gallon this week.

4. Minnesota DT Ra'Shede Hageman (LW: 5): His numbers would have been better last week if he didn't have two sacks wiped out by face-mask penalties, but Hageman was still a menace to the Nebraska offense and a big reason why Minnesota's defense has kept the team in just about every game.

5. Iowa LB James Morris (LW: NR): He had eight tackles, a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery against Northwestern last week, continuing a standout senior season for the Hawkeyes' defensive leader.

Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year

1. Devin Funchess, Michigan: Funchess is really more of a big wide receiver, so if you heavily value blocking from the position, you might look elsewhere. But it's hard to ignore his impact, as he leads all league tight ends with 492 receiving yards, plus four touchdowns.

2. Ted Bolser, Indiana: Bolser gives the Hoosiers yet another outstanding weapon in the passing game, with 247 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the season.

3. C.J. Fiedorowicz, Iowa: Hawkeyes fans would love to see CJF get even more involved in the offense; he caught the game-winning score in overtime last week against Northwestern and has 17 receptions for 153 yards and four scores this season. The top tight end race is a good one in the league, with Northwestern's Dan Vitale and Wisconsin's Jacob Pedersen also in the mix.